I Remember
by Winchester Fan Forever
Summary: Zack recovers his memory after Max sent him away but can he forgive Max for what she's done?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I must have been a bad girl last year because when I asked Santa for the rights to Dark Angel I found a lump of coal in my stocking instead.

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Adam Thompson walked down the streets downtown today just as he always did when he had free time, lost in his thoughts, trying so hard to remember his past. Ever since he woke up in that hospital in Seattle, he had no memory of his past. It had been a year since he'd returned home and still, the only memories he had were the ones he'd made since returning to the ranch. Buddy had told him he had been in an accident and he'd suffered some memory loss. He'd been to numerous doctors over the past year and they all said basically the same thing. That he might recover his memory eventually but there was no way of telling how long it would take.

So far he hadn't so much as had a single flash of his memory. He'd asked so many questions of Buddy about who he was and where he came from but Buddy didn't really have many answers. He'd only been working for the man for 3 years and Buddy told him he'd never really said much about his past except that he was on his own and had no family to speak of. It all seemed so hopeless.

He liked it here alright. Buddy and his wife Mary were like family to him. They treated him almost as if he were their own son. He got along with their children, Carrie and Nick, as if they were his own brother and sister. Still, he wanted to know who he was. He couldn't help but feel the emptiness inside from the loss of his identity.

"Hey, Adam!" Adam was shaken out of his reverie as he heard Laura's voice call to him from the door of the diner he had just passed.

"Hey, what's up," he said as he turned to face her, her tiny delicate frame leaning out the door, her beautiful blue eyes gazing into his.

"Oh, nothin' much. I just saw you passing by and you looked so sad. My shift's over. Why don't you come in and have a cup of coffee with me? You look like you could use some cheering up."

"Nah, I've gotta get back to the ranch. Lots of stuff to do. You know how it is."

"Please," she begged giving him her signature puppy dog pout.

"Alright, I guess I could stay for a little while," he conceded with a smile and made his way inside. He just couldn't say no to her. They'd become such good friends over the past year.

He'd met her when he'd first come into town, or back into town as Buddy tells him. He'd been wandering alone through town trying to trigger memories and he stopped in that little diner for something to eat. He had been pretty down that day until she approached him with her warm smile and offered a friendly ear. They'd been friends ever since. She accepted him for who he was despite the fact that he couldn't remember his past and he knew she had feelings for him but she never pressed him for more than friendship. He liked her a lot. He just wasn't ready for a relationship. Not when he didn't even know who he was.

"I'll be right back," Laura said as he settled into their usual booth in the back corner of the diner. She made her way back behind the counter and made 2 cups of coffee and came back to sit down across from him.

"So, what's up? What's the frowny face all about?"

"It's nothing. It's just… well I wish I could remember _something, anything._"

"Sweetie, we talked about this. It's best not to dwell on it. The doctors have said your memory will come back when it's ready."

"I know but it's been a year, Laura. I don't think it's ever going to come back."

"Well then maybe it's time you move on with your life. Make new memories," she said as she reached across the table to put her hand on his.

"I can't! Not when I don't even know who I really am. It wouldn't be right," he said as he pulled his hand back.

Laura tried to mask the hurt she felt when he pulled away and said, "It doesn't matter who you were before. It only matters who you are now and from what I've seen, you're a good man, Adam."

"How do you know that? I don't even know who I was before I came here, what kind of person I was. I can't even remember where I got this tattoo. Why would anyone want a barcode tattooed to the back of their neck," he said as he reached back to put a hand over the barcode on his neck. "I don't even know if Adam's my real name."

"C'mon Adam, don't talk like that. Of course that's your real name. Did you ever think that maybe there's things in your past that are worth forgetting? I know there's been a fair share of things in my life I'd rather forget. Maybe this amnesia is a blessing in disguise."

Adam opened his mouth to speak but she interrupted, "Look… All I'm saying is that it's better to look ahead instead of trying to look back. What's past is past."

"I guess you're right. Look… I'm gonna get going. Mary's expecting me for dinner in a half hour," he said as he stood up from the table.

"OK, call me later," she asked eying him warily as she stood to hug him goodbye.

"Sure thing," he said as he headed towards the door.

"Hey," she called to his back. "Chin up, OK?" He nodded and turned to give her a wry smile before stepping out the door.

Adam made his way back to the truck and drove back to the ranch. He stepped into the living room to find Carrie and Nick watching TV and decided to sit down and join them. "Hey guys. Whatcha watchin," he asked as he entered the room ruffling Nick's hair and tossing Carrie's pigtails as he made his way around to sit down.

"News. It's on every channel," grumbled Nick.

"Oh yeah? Must be something big going on then," said Adam as he settled himself onto the couch between them.

The news was droning on about a Transgenic Rights Amendment set forth and passed by the Senate. It soon cut to some high profile reverend and a young Transgenic named Alec debating back and forth about whether or not the Senate made the right choice in giving Transgenics the right to legally live and work in the country. The reverend, at this point red-faced and entirely too worked up, was going on and on about how they don't deserve equal rights because they're not human and they're a danger to the citizens of the US. Alec, still cool, calm, and collected, rebutted civilly without even a hint of ill will towards the man by saying that all they wanted was what any other human being would want, the right to be free and live their lives in peace. And, how after being raised like prisoners all their lives, and from the time they were children being forced to do things that wouldn't even be asked of a decorated war veteran, they have more than earned that right. He went on to say that the majority of the Transgenic population would never harm anyone unless they were put in a position where they didn't have a choice and the ones who would, were the result of the military's flagrant abuse. To prove his point, he brought up some hostage situation that took place at a business called Jam Pony last year in which neither the hostages nor the special ops team brought in to defuse the situation were harmed even after the Transgenics had been shot at and lost a comrade when all they were trying to do was protect their own. The newscaster took this moment to roll a clip of the events that transpired that day while the Transgenic and the reverend bickered on. The clip showed a dark-haired young woman jumping aboard a hover drone, her hair blowing in the breeze as she rode it into a building.

"Look! That girl has a tattoo just like yours!" said Carrie causing Adam to look more closely at the woman on the screen.

"Max," he blurted out, leaning forward to put his hand to his head as pain and flashes of memories started coming back to him in a rush. All the talk about Transgenics and the sight of Max were just the triggers his mind was waiting for. It was as if someone had opened a floodgate inside his mind and all the memories came rushing back in a whoosh. It was so overwhelming that he collapsed onto the floor unconscious.

"Adam!" shouted Carrie in alarm.

"Go get Mama," Nick said, leaning over Adam as he took control of the situation.

"Mama! Mama!" Carrie shouted as she jumped off the couch and ran towards the kitchen.

"What's wrong," asked Mary as she headed towards the sound of her daughter's frantic voice.

"Something's wrong with Adam!"

Mary followed her daughter back to the living room to find Nick leaning over an unconscious Adam checking his pulse. "What happened," she asked.

"I don't know. One minute he was sitting there watching TV and the next he said something then put his hand to his head and collapsed," said Nick.

"Oh my! What was it he said before he collapsed Nicky?"

"I don't know. It sounded like he said Max."

"Sweetie, I need you to go to the barn and get your dad… And take your sister with you."

"But what about Adam?"

"He'll be alright. Just send your dad in here."

Buddy came rushing into the living room after sending the children to their rooms. He'd been warned by Doctor Carr that it could be a volatile situation if Adam were to ever recover his memory. There was just no telling how he would react.

As Adam began to stir Buddy said, "Mary, I think maybe you should go on upstairs and check on the kids."

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TBC


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Still don't own it.

So sorry this took so long. I have a million excuses but I won't waste your time with them. Let's just say I had some family stuff going on and I wasn't in the mood to write. I noticed a lot of grammatical errors when I reread the first chapter. I apologize. My own grammar is my greatest weakness. I have no problem finding the flaws in other people's work but I always have issues finding my own. That being said, I am in desperate need of a beta if anybody can recommend one. Also, I know I said this was gonna be an M/Z fic but I think it's bordering on the lines of friendship/family. You may yet see some M/A action in the future. Also, I have a whole chapter of the M/A story I promised written. I just can't think of a title for it.

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Zack awoke to someone standing over him and instinctively jumped up and grabbed him by the throat, pinning him to the wall before he could even blink.

"Adam, it's me, Buddy," he choked out as he gasped for breath.

"It's Zack," he said as he loosened his grip and lowered Buddy to the ground.

"I know."

"All those doctors… all this time not knowing who I was and you knew the whole time? Why? How could you lie to me about who I am," asked Zack in anguish.

"Perhaps you should sit down, son. It's a long story," he motioned to the couch as he took a seat in an armchair in the living room eyeing Zack warily as he made his way to the couch to sit down.

"Look… About a year ago a friend of mine, who I happened to owe a favor to, contacted me and said that he had a friend who had suffered a head injury and needed a place to stay and a fresh start. He didn't give me all the details but what he did say is that you had lost your memory. When I arrived at the hospital to retrieve you, I met your sister, Max, she said that there were bad people looking for you and things in your past that you were better off not knowing. She gave me everything you would need to establish your new identity and made me promise that I would never tell you about her. I know now that I should probably have asked more questions but I didn't. It wasn't until later on when the news about transgenics started to get around and I saw your sister on the news that I realized you were one of them. It all made sense, the tattoo on your neck, the way you can do your work so much faster than the rest of us and not even break a sweat. Still, I kept my suspicions to myself. You see, Adam… Zack, this past year, you've become like a son to me and to Mary. You're just as much a part of this family as my own children are and I didn't want anything bad to happen to you. I'd heard all about the terrible things they were doing to the transgenics in the big cities and the government agencies that were out to capture them. That's one of the reasons I never let you go on the delivery trips. I didn't want to risk any of those big city lynch mobs seeing that barcode of yours. I figured it would be better if you stayed close to home."

"Home," Zack scoffed. "Never really had one of those before."

"Well, you have one now."

"I have to go," Zack said as he rose abruptly from his seat and made his way upstairs to his room.

Nick and Carrie peered out their parents' bedroom door trying to see what was going on while their mother beckoned for them to come away from the door and give them privacy.

"Now, hold on there, son. You can't just up and leave…" Buddy said from the doorway trailing off as Zack sent a glare his way.

"I-It's not safe out there for your kind."

"I need to see her. I need to understand why she would do this to me. I had responsibilities, family to look out for, and she just sent me away," he said, stuffing his bag as he spoke. "Besides, I can take care of myself, always have," he added as he zipped up his bag, promptly snatching it up and making his way to the front door.

"Adam, where are you going," cried a bewildered Carrie, running towards him as he made his way out the door, tears in her eyes. Of all the members of his new-found family, Carrie was the one he was closest to. But who could resist such an adorably sweet little girl? Nothing made him happier than seeing those cute little dimples when he made her smile. His features softened and he turned to face her as she wrapped her arms around his waste.

"I have to go away for a little while, Sweet Pea," he said, dropping his bag as he knelt down to embrace her.

"Why?" she sniffed, tears streaming down her face.

"Because…" he paused. "Well, there're some important things I have to do, people who need me. I'll be back as soon as I can, OK?"

She nodded but made no move to let him go.

"At least wait until the next delivery run," entreated Buddy. "It'll be a hell of a lot easier on you if we get your paperwork in order so you don't have to sneak past sector checkpoints all the way there and back. Why don't we sit down and have some dinner and we can take care of the arrangements in the morning?"

"You know what? I think your Daddy's right. I can wait for the next delivery. How's about we go set the table," conceded Zack as he lifted her up onto his shoulders and carried her into the dining room.

He couldn't help but notice the tear stains on Mary's cheeks as she carried the food from the kitchen to the dinner table and he was wracked with guilt at having put them there. It was then that he realized it wasn't going to be as easy to walk away from his new family as he thought it would be. He was too emotionally attached to them now, something he couldn't even have fathomed a year ago.


End file.
